Nick McLellan

Nick McLellan was one of the most accomplished place kickers and punters in Dowling Catholic history, also excelling as a standout soccer player. A four-year letter winner in both sports, Nick helped lead the varsity football team to back-to-back state championships in 2013 and 2014 and earned a spot on the Des Moines Register’s 2014 Elite All-State Team.

Nick set multiple Iowa state records, including career points by a kicker (283), career PATs (206), field goals in a game (4), and points in a season by a kicker (105). He earned all-state honors from both the state’s coaches and the Iowa Newspaper Association. His career stats include 206-of-213 extra points, 26-of-36 field goals with a long of 42 yards, and a 39.6-yard punting average.

Following high school, Nick played at Kansas State University, serving as the primary kickoff specialist in 2018 and 2019. He averaged 58.9 yards on 36 kickoffs with eight touchbacks in 2018 and achieved career highs in kickoffs (8), average (62.9 yards), and touchbacks (3) during the 2019 season. He was also a two-time First Team All-Academic Big 12 honoree.

Nick currently resides in Omaha with his wife, Kristen (Krueger) McLellan ’15. He is pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Nurse Anesthesia at Clarkson College. He earned his BSN from Mercy College of Health Sciences in 2020 and a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Kansas State University in 2019, and previously worked as a registered nurse in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit at MercyOne.

Reflecting on his time at Dowling Catholic, he remembers the tradition, Team First attitude, and what it felt like to be part of a community that fosters excellence in all facets of life. He will forever remember the people he met and the experiences he had, noting that this place is special.